Honestly the only dumb question is one you're too scared to ask. I've seen so many threads where someone finally speaks up and half the forum is like "oh thank god, I was wondering that too." It takes guts to be the first one to put your hand up, especially online where people can be jerks. That 500 post mark is when you realize everyone's just figuring it out as they go.

Yeah, that wet towel trick is a total fail. It just steams everything. You need the air to hit the skin directly. I pat my chicken totally dry with paper towels, then a tiny bit of oil and salt. Cook it skin side up, don't crowd the basket. Comes out way crispier every time.

Yeah, that "cutting corners" thing... it's why my old car is a rolling pile of duct tape fixes.

Just hit me how much wear that is on a body" is so true. Read an article a while back about arborist joint stress. They said a single climb can put forces equal to several times your body weight on knees and hips. Multiply that by 500. Makes my own back ache just thinking about it.

Honestly, that story hits on something I see all the time. People get stuck in a routine way of doing things because it's what they know, even if it's messy or slow. It takes someone showing you a clearly better way to break that habit. Tbh, it happens with software at my office or even just cooking at home. Your old wipe method was like my stubborn dad refusing to use a drill for screws. That leak fluid is the drill. Once you see it work right, you can't go back.